# Good Pipe/Bad Pipe



## Terrier (Jan 15, 2010)

Although I have owed a couple of pipes since 1979 -1981, I have never smoked them much. One of the pipes is an Italian "Casseloni Triton 508". Probabaly cost me less than $10.00 back then. In my eyes, it is a very nice looking pipe, bent stem style with nice sized bowl.
It seems to smoke fine, based on my limited experience. It does take a lot of re-lighting, but I don't know if that is attributable to the pipe itself or to the wetness and packing of the tabacco.

The question is: What kind of difference, if any, might I expect in a higher end pipe (eg., a $50.00 to $70.00 range) as far as smokability is concerned?


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## Rascal (Jan 29, 2010)

Terrier said:


> Although I have owed a couple of pipes since 1979 -1981, I have never smoked them much. One of the pipes is an Italian "Casseloni Triton 508". Probabaly cost me less than $10.00 back then. In my eyes, it is a very nice looking pipe, bent stem style with nice sized bowl.
> It seems to smoke fine, based on my limited experience. It does take a lot of re-lighting, but I don't know if that is attributable to the pipe itself or to the wetness and packing of the tabacco.
> 
> The question is: What kind of difference, if any, might I expect in a higher end pipe (eg., a $50.00 to $70.00 range) as far as smokability is concerned?


None. If there are no construction problems with a pipe the enjoyability of the experience is up to proper technique and properly dried tobacco. Unusally large and unusually small bowls are less forgiving on technique issues.


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## DSturg369 (Apr 6, 2008)

There are great smoking pipes that don't cost very much and there are downright bad pipes that can be very expensive. Like with anything else, there are lemons in the pipe world as well. Some pipes just smoke better than others. Granted, the big names in the pipe making world have a reputation to live up to and are generally good smokers, the occasional gem can be found for just a few dollars. The key to it all is just knowing what to look for. For me, it's about the way the air hole matches up with the bottom of the bowl and how the pipe feels in my hand. The "eye candy" appeal that many enjoy means very little to me if I don't like the way it smokes and feels in my hand.


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## Mad Hatter (Apr 8, 2007)

That would depend on your technique and the pipe's drilling and alignment


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## Garys4598 (Jan 16, 2010)

Mad Hatter said:


> That would depend on your technique and the pipe's drilling and alignment


Ummm. . . and also, don't forget that the airway's diameter often factors in to how easy or difficult it is to keep a bowl lit (and how firmly you packed the tobac in the bowl, obviously directly plays a major factor as well).


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## bigd618 (Dec 10, 2009)

I'm new to the pipe forum so I'm not sure if this suggestion is something good for the pipe or not, but I've heard of people opening the airway with a slightly larger drill bit than the original.


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## Mad Hatter (Apr 8, 2007)

Garys4598 said:


> Ummm. . . and also, don't forget that the airway's diameter often factors in to how easy or difficult it is to keep a bowl lit (and how firmly you packed the tobac in the bowl, obviously directly plays a major factor as well).


Absolutely (I consider that part of the drilling). I've heard guys, usually older guys, say that doesn't make a lot of difference to them but I think for most people it probably does. In my experience cheap brand name pipes are notorious for small airways and mid-grades aren't quite as bad but its still an issue.


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## Terrier (Jan 15, 2010)

Thanks for the replies so far. I did notice that the I cannnot run a pipe cleaner all the way through from the bit, through the shank and into the chamber due to a misalingnment between the stem and the shank airways. Will this make it a not so good smoker? 
However, the airway is pretty well aligned with the bottom of the chamber.


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## Nicolas J. Pug (Apr 21, 2009)

Good advice from the previous respondants. I have only smoked a pipe for a little over a year, so my advice may not carry the weight of that of the grizzled veterans who so generously assist us in this forum.

I smoke bent billiards, and I have learned to bend about a twenty degree kink in my pipe cleaners before inserting them. Point it downwad to clear the bend in the stem, then turn the cleaner half a turn so it points upward before pushing it into the bowl. It may take a couple of jabs to align it properly, but it works for me. Just the way bent pipe are drilled.

Secondly, regarding your original post, $50 to $70 is not what I consider to be "High-End". It's about what the larger manufacturures of good pipes will retail their base models. My first three pipes were "basket-cases", about $20 each (circa 2008). One smoked pretty well, the other two were garbage. I eventually broke down and spent $45 on a Savinelli Duca Carlo, and it was a new experience. It still smokes more or less as well as more expensive pipes I've bought since because it is well made, and because I have learned the myriad of techniques of loading, lighting, tamping, cakeing, etc. There is a wealth of info on these subjects in the "Ask a pipe guy thread" at the top of the page on this forum. (Sorry, I don't have the techno-savy to include a link).

You may have a good pipe, inexpensive though it was. There's a saying about "only paying for the name". There's another that says "You get what you pay for".


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## Terrier (Jan 15, 2010)

Let me refine my question a little: What makes a pipe a good smoker? In other words, how would I know if my pipe is a good smoker?


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## drastic_quench (Sep 12, 2008)

Good drilling, both in diameter and moreso where the hole meets the bowl (center, bottom). Also, you don't want bowl walls that are too thin. Then there's the quality of the briar, and I don't mean grain. But don't worry, because you can't really know that without smoking it. They say a well-made pipe with a good quality briar should feel lighter than it looks. Bad smokers make themselves known by their symptoms : too hot, too many relights, off tastes, burn outs, lots of gurgles.

All of the above is why so many pipers shop with their trusted brand names. Stanwell, Savinelli, Peterson, etc. It's not impossible to get a clunker in this range, but the odds are very very good that you'll have a great smoker. This is one big reason why Dunhill is the world's best. They made their name on consistently offering the best, and their customers can count on that.


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## Nicolas J. Pug (Apr 21, 2009)

You can only spot problems indicating a "bad pipe" through visual inspection. If it is drilled poorly (off to one side, or drilled through above the bottom of the bowl, or you can't get a cleaner through...etc.).

With none of these issues, a "good smoker" is strictly a matter of smoking it, and deciding it is a good smoker, based on whether it gives a good smoking experience or not.

Pipe smoking involves a lot more "technique" than cigs or cigars. A lot can go wrong. It took me a while to get the hang of it, and I got aggravated at constant relighting, gurgling, and char-broiled tongue, that are part of the learning curve.

If you don't see any of these drilling problems in your pipe, it should smoke okay. The pipe, however, is only part of the equation. It'll take a few hundred bowls (if you're anything like me) to get it down.


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